What the Forest Holds
by KDTBpantherwulf
Summary: Hogwarts' forbidden forest plays host to many creatures, and not all the inteligent ones are centaurs. What if instead of meeting Firenze in the forest, Harry was saved by a fox before the centaur could even interfere? Who is this fox, and how will he affect the fate of our favorite Golden Boy hero? Probably a bit of Dumbles, Ginny, and Molly bashing, but nothing too severe.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Hogwarts' forbidden forest plays host to many creatures, and not all the inteligent ones are centaurs. What if instead of meeting Firenze in the forest, Harry was saved by a fox before the centaur could even interfere? Who is this fox, and how will he affect the fate of our favorite Golden Boy hero? No slash, probably a bit of Ron, Dumbles, Ginny, and Molly bashing, but nothing too severe.

Disclaimer: Do I own anything? Well, let me ask you something else first. Do you see Naruto and Harry being completely, overpoweringly, unrealistically epic? Is Sasuke dead? Are Itachi, Jiraiya, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Minato, Neji, and all my other favorite characters alive? Do you see an OC that looks just like me married to Kakashi? No? Well, there's your answer.

Warnings: Uh...nope. Nothing. Right now anyway...

Talking - "People need to stop using YOLO as an excuse to do stupid things."

Thinking - 'Agreed'

A/N: Hola peeps! KDTBpantherwulf here with a fanfic idea that's actually been bouncing around in my head for the better part of a year. Finally decided to write it, and see if I could do something with it. I haven't seen too many ideas that are all that similar to the one I have in mind, so if I fall into any cliches, someone please tell me. This is my first Harry/Naruto xover, so please don't hate. I'd appreciate reviews, and flames will be used to heat my coffee. Also, I haven't really watched any of the recent Naruto Shippuden episodes, I just know that Neji is dead, and the Tobito people were right. I think. Not much of the Naruverse will really be included here, and most of what is will be after manga-time. So...yeah. Enjoy!

5/18/2013 A/N: Yay! This fic is now being beta-d by RoxyConan-Kun, so the horrifying mistakes are gone! Woohoo!

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Harry was confused. And scared. But mostly confused. Minutes before, he'd been roaming the forbidden forest with Draco and Fang in search of an injured unicorn for a detention assigned by his head of house. They'd found it, and it was dead, which was horrifiying in itself. However, that wasn't the most horrifying thing, for as they stood by and watched in transfixed horror, a figure in a black, hooded cloak came out of no where, and began drinking its blood. Suficet to say, both were terrified, but Malfoy cracked first and screamed before fleeing, Fang hot on his heels. As the figure looked up, Harry found that he was too terrified to do much other than gape, and his scar was so painful that it felt like it was on fire. The figure began stalking toward him, and as he backed away, a small cynical part of his brain not overcome with pain, fear, or adrenaline wondered if tonight was the night he would die. Maybe it was his fate for having cheated death once before? He backed himself up against a tree, and the figure kept getting closer slowly, seemingly not in any rush.

Then, he heard a sound that didn't belong, leaves rustling from behind him, and a low pitched but loud growl. He whipped his head to the side, practically giving himself whiplash, and came face to face with a large fox. And large it was, being about the height of a donkey, with razor sharp fangs glinting in the dim moonlight, red-orange pelt bristling, and glowing purple eyes focused completely on the black clothed figure in front of it, ignoring Harry. It snarled, and the black clad figure hurredly backed up before dissapearing. It made a motion to follow, then seemed to shake its head, which really didn't make sense since it was a _fox_ after all, before turning to Harry, who was certain it was going to eat him, and covered his face with his hands. When the seconds ticked by, and nothing happened, he peeked an eye out from behing his fingers to see the fox staring at him, giving him an unimpressed look, if foxes can do that.

"Uh...nice fox. Please don't eat me." He murmered aprehensively. He didn't really have a very good reputation with animals of the canine family, he thought, remembering Aunt Marge's dogs. He flinched when the fox huffed at him, and was surprised when instead of biting him or something equally violent, the fox merely licked his face and sat down next to him on its haunches, looking for all the world like it wanted him to climb on. "Er..." Harry was dumbfounded to say the least. What happened to the fierce fox from moments ago? As he stared, the fox seemed to roll its eyes, which again, isn't remotely possible for a _fox_, and Harry squeaked (which he would later insist was a very manly grunt) when he was suddenly picked up by a furry appendage and deposited on the fox's back, which was very soft and warm.

It had glanced at him, to all appearances seemingly checking to see that he was settled, before it set off at an easy lope through the forest. "Er..." And now we come to the present. As Harry sat atop the large fox, marveling at the apperent ease at which it carried him, he wondered where the fox was taking him. It seemed to know where it was going, wherever they were headed, but Harry was slightly afraid that it was taking him back to its den to eat him or something. 'I don't think it would save me just to kill me later though. Seems like it would be a waste of time...' He thought reasurringly to himself, relaxing slightly and burying his hands in the fox's warm fur. He shivered slightly in the cool air; it was nightime, they were in scottland, and he only had his school robes on to keep him warm. The fox seemed to feel him, as it tightened the tail wrapped around his waist and picked up its pace, the easy lope turning into a canter. The wind whipped through his hair as he threw his head back, the feeling similar to that of a broom, yet different at the same time. As the fox bounded through the forest, Harry felt his adrenalin fading, and glee building up within his chest, and he did nothing to stop it. He let it free, his shreiks of delight and bubbling laughter bouncing off the trees surrounding them. In those few moments, he felt as though he'd truely been set free, as though all his worries had momentarily left him. All too soon though, was over, as the fox slowed from its run to a walk again. Harry realized that he was at the edge of the forbidden forest, and sighed unhappily. He didn't want to leave his newfound friend, or atleast he considered the animal a friend. Seeing as defeating a troll together made people friends, certainly being saved from a dangerous, black-cloaked figure applied a well.

However, it didn't seem that he had a choice, as the fox's tail that was wrapped around him lifted him from his warm and comfy spot upon its back. He was deposited to its side, and he walked around to its front to say goodbye. "I don't know if you can understand me," He said slowly, feeling kind of stupid, but gaining confidence as he continued. "But I'd like to thank you for saving me tonight. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't been there to help me." He shivered, a combination of lingering fear and the chilly air being its cause. He took a deep breath to gather his courge, not certain even after the non-hostile behavior the fox had displayed this whole time of being in its presence if it would react well, and stepped forward to wrap his arms as far around the fox as he could. Being a small 11 year old, this wasn't very far, but the fox seemed to appreciate the gesture, as it stretched its head over his shoulder so that they were standing in a mutual psuedo hug. "Well, I guess this is goodbye." He said regretfully, and was surprised when the fox seemed to sigh before leaning back and butting his chest gently with its head. 'Though on second thought, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by anything in the magical world anymore. How is this surprising after meeting a three headed dog?' They stayed in their embrace for a few moments more, before they both took a step back. Harry watched as the fox turned around and, with one lingering look backward, made its way back to the forest, disappearing amongst the shadows of the trees.

He watched as its red-orange fur was swallowed by the darkness of the forest, his heart heavy, before shooting green sparks up from his wand to call the others to him. Minutes later, which he had spent fidgiting anxiously in the darkness by himself wishing the fox hadn't left, Hagrid came crashing out of the forest, crossbow up and ready, the other three first years trailing behind him with red faces. Obviously the pace had been rough, as Neville practically collapsed on the ground as they came to a stop, and Hermione was gasping for air. Even Draco was affected; he couldn't keep up his superior expression as his hair was askew, his robes were dirty, and he was gasping as much as Hermione, ruining the whole effort.

Hagrid rushed over, and frantically began looking him over "Harry! Are yeh alright? Did yeh get hurt at all?" Hagrid asked while patting the dirt off his clothes, practically making him collapse from the force. Before Harry could answer, he continued, "When Draco came runnin' towards us, I ran straight to the clearin', but you weren't there! I thought summat had happened ter you when I found the dead unicorn, but no you! The centaurs didn't seem worried, but they never do, ruddy horses..." Hagrid trailed off into inaudible mutters.

"Don't worry Hagrid, I'm fine. I was saved by this enormous fox. I didn't even know they grew to be that big!" Harry said, reasuring Hagrid as the other first year detentioners caught their breath from sprinting through the forest after Hagrid. "Giant fox? Didn't know we had giant foxes. Wonder why I've never seen any during my rounds..." Hagrid mumbled to himself, though it was heard by Harry, confusing him a bit. 'Well, even as the grounds keeper, I guess he wouldn't know of everything in a forest this large.' "Well you lot, let's get you back up ter the castle. This detention's over since we found the thing that was hurtin' the unicorns, and I'm sure yer ready to get ter yer beds." Hagrid said to the four first years. Neville picked himself up off the floor, Hermione kept taking a deep breaths to refill her lungs, and Draco attempted to clean himself up as they made their way to the castle.

Harry was lost in thought about his new friend, wondering if he'd ever see the fox again. 'What if it gets hurt or something?' He thought, completely ignoring the obvious fact, that being that the fox wasn't anywhere near helpless, as the young are wont to do when there's something they want. 'I'll make sure I see it again, even if I have to go out into the forest and find it myself!' He thought determinedly. His determination wavered slightly when he remembered his most recent encounter with the forest's other inhabitants. 'During the day. I'll go during the day. Less scary then.' he thought, shuddering. Neither he nor his companions noticed the purple eyes that tracked their progress until they were safe within the castle walls before disappearing back into the forest.

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A/N: Kay, so, first chapter. Yay! Well...it's more of a prologue than a chapter I guess. If you haven't figured out who the fox is, you deserve to be lynched. It's not too hard, honest. Just think. Who else has a hero complex and a connection to foxes? ...and if you say Minato or Kushina, I will bite you. Even if you'd be right...XP I'll get another chapter out as soon as I can, but high school sucks. As does writing Hagrid. His accent is funky. I don't have a beta, so if anyone catches any mistakes, feel free to PM me about them, or if you wanna be a beta, that'd be nice too! Sometimes though, things that look like mistakes are just cause I made up a word. ^.^ ' Guess that's all for now...Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own a chili dog. However, I ate the chili dog, so really I own a lump of meat and bread in my stomach. But, I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. Those belong to Masashi Kishimoto and J.K. Rowling respectively.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

**"Biju Talking"**

**'Biju thinking'**

_Flashback_

Jutsu

Warnings: The Dursleys are more abusive than they were in canon, which has some psychological effects. Not, like, 'Oh my god! Harry's 200 pounds underweight, his body is covered in horrifying scars, and his Uncle beats him 24/7!' Vaguely described verbal/emotional abuse, so my Harry is a bit more suspicious of others and their motives.A Gryffindor with a slightly more prominent Slytherin side. Oh, and my Naru was verbally/emotionally abused as a child...which I guess is actually kinda canon, so I don't know why I mentioned it.

A/N: Well...*looks at last update date* this is kinda awkward. I would make up some stupid excuse, but I really don't feel the need to. You guys can probably figure out what happened. Yep. I was attacked by rabid purple ducklings. It was terrifying. XD No, just kidding. But, it all sirusness, XP I was just distracted by real life. School projects, awesome field trips, late nights of homework, high school in general, the whole shebang. So, uh...I'll try to update more often, but I'm doin' my best. On a completely different note, DAMN! LOOK AT ALL THEM FOLLOWS AND FAVS! That's pretty damn impressive for a 2k+ fic. Ego boooooosssttt...thanks a bunch to everyone! I'll try to live up to your expectations and not suck. One last important thing, then I'm done. This is NOT SLASH. People have been wondering, so I thought I should just put it out there now. I have nothing against slash. In fact, I'm an avid slash fan myself. However, this particular fic is NOT SLASH. SEE THE CAPS? NOT SLASH. However, slash fans can feel free to interpret whatever they wish. ;P

I'd like to thank RoxyConan-Kun for beta-ing my fic. You're the bestest person EVAH!

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Chapter 1

_"You're caught now!" An orange masked man screamed maniacally, his mask sporting a large crack directly down the middle, but somehow managing to stay intact. His attention was focused on the man kneeling in front of him, whose blue eyes were closed in defeat, and his blonde hair was covered in dirt and blood. "There's no point in fighting anymore. Your friends and family are dead, your allies have abandoned you _(1)_, what can you do?" The spiral masked man said, his voice condescending, full of mock sympathy, before he began laughing. The kneeling man didn't answer, his head bowed. "I'm sure you're screaming inside, wishing for death. I've known so many _honorable_ men like you, you're all the same! You blame yourself for everything, even things that aren't your fault. Pathetic." The man spat. "Though, I guess this is your fault, so the blame really does fall to you..." he mused, laughing when the other man tried to conceal a wince and a pained expression._

_"Well, perhaps you'll get your wish," the spiral masked man said, making the man in front of him suppress his confused expression before he continued, much to the kneeling man's unconcealed horror. "But sadly, not from me. __Wood Style: Cage of Eternity__!" Maniacal laughter sounded as the masked man leapt away, and trees burst from the ground. The blonde man tried to leap get out of the way, but he stumbled and fell, as he was too exhausted to move. All he could do was watch as the growing trees surrounded him._

_'Well, there's one thing I can do...Kyuubi?' __**"It's possible. You probably won't survive it though. It would've been hard enough if we were both full on chakra, but we're both depleted." **__The nine-tailed fox said, gathering most of what was left of his chakra, though there wasn't as much as there usually would be because of the previous battle. 'Yes Kyuubi, I understand. Thank You.' The fox could be heard huffing in an annoyed manner. __**"Just know, I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this so the man who had the audacity to control me will die a painful death, and I'll finally have my revenge." **__The kneeling man chuckled humorlessly, long having gotten over Kyuubi's consistent dislike of him, before taking a deep breath and beginning a long chain of hand seals, many of which no human had seen before. As soon as he finished, he slammed his hands on the trunk of a still growing tree nearby before murmuring, "__Demon Style: Nine-Tailed Torment__!" He smirked grimly as he felt the nine-tails' demonic chakra using the chakra from the trees grown by the jutsu to search out the caster, and heard a loud scream. He felt the chakra from his jutsu snap, and sighed in relief. 'At Least they'll never have to worry about him again.' The blonde haired man thought as he collapsed, demonic chakra still running through his system and wreaking havoc on his body._

_The reason he'd never used this jutsu before, even though it was a one hit kill, was because the war had never been close enough to being over for him to allow himself to die. Though it was a one hit kill, he would die upon its completion. As the only remaining Jinchuuriki and the most powerful of the remainder of the united shinobi nations who wasn't in an important leadership position, he was needed in the war. There was also the problem of needing Madara to cast a jutsu that stood still long enough for him to do the hundred and some odd hand signs for his jutsu, and still have time to touch it. The demonic chakra would track Madara's chakra through his jutsu, and attack his chakra system. Because demonic chakra is poisonous to any non-Jinchuuriki, Madara would first lose the ability to use chakra, then his body would begin to dissolve, before dying from the poison. The entire process would take only a few minutes, and though it wasn't nearly long enough for Madara to suffer for his crimes, at least he wouldn't be able to commit anymore._

_**"Always the self sacrificing one, hm ningen?" **__The nine-tails muttered to his container as he too collapsed within his cage. __**'Damnit. The jutsu used more chakra than I'd thought...I don't think I can recover from this...' **__Kurama thought to himself, growling in annoyance at his own stupidity. He'd been planning on taking over his container's body after the jutsu's completion; though these years of war had given the two a slight feeling of camaraderie, they were still enemies. __**'I've managed to live through this war, even with my container being as trouble seeking as he is, yet here I am, dying from a rookie mistake.'**__ The fox snorted before his ears perked up. __**'Perhaps there is a way...yes, that might just work...I won't live on, but I can at least insure that my power does!' **__A terrifying smile lit upon his face as he lifted his head._

_**"Ningen, come here!" **__Kurama said, his voice not betraying the urgency he felt.__'Nani?' The blonde replied, jerked from the edge of unconsciousness by his tenant's voice. __**"I don't have time to explain, just get in here! Come to the seal!" **__Kurama roared, his patience quickly wearing thin. 'Alright, alright...' The blonde man appeared in front of the fox suddenly, his expression a mixture of resignation and annoyance. "What could possibly be so important that you'd interrupt my reminiscing and dying in peace?" Instead of answering, the fox allowed what little of his chakra remained to flood the seal, wrapping around his container. _(2)_ "Kyuubi, wha-" __**"Don't speak ningen. I'll be gone when you wake up. Brace yourself, this is going to hurt. A lot." **__The fox said tersely, most of his focus on his chakra, molding it to his will. "Kyuubi? Why would I wake up? What are you talking abou-" The blonde man was interrupted as white hot pain streamed through him, his head thrown back, his mouth wide open in a silent scream of agony. The last thing he heard before he was thankfully taken by the darkness was a malicious chuckle, and the fox's voice rumbling, __**"Good luck, Naruto."**_

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'Ugh. Why is it that I always get attached to the people I save?' A certain purple eyed fox thought as he ambled through the forest that had been his prison for almost longer than he could remember. 'I mean, honestly, why can't I ever just save someone and be done with it? I always end up somehow making emotional connections! Makes my job so much harder...or I guess it's _made_ now...' He sighed to himself, his large paws barely making a sound as he walked. He'd just buried the body of the unicorn that had been killed; when he came back the culprit was gone and the unicorn's body had been left in the clearing. 'Demon I may be, but I'd like to think I still hold most of my old morals.' He sighed before picking up the pace, leaping over fallen trees and absently listening as the other forest creatures fell silent in fear when he passed. 'I suppose,' he considered as he skirted the edges of the acromantula nest, 'It's reassuring to know that I haven't had a blatant personality change during my time here.' His thoughts were momentarily forgotten as he sped up even more, practically flying through the forest. For a few moments, it was just him, the trees, and the elation of speed. It was over quickly though, and he slowed as he arrived at what he had dubbed his part of the forest; most of the forest's other inhabitants didn't dare show their faces here unless they were looking for a fight.

It was close to the direct center, where Madara's jutsu had first begun. Over the years, the forest had grown beyond what the jutsu first created, weakening the jutsu's power as the chakra was spread evenly through all the trees. However, he estimated that there were probably still a couple hundred to a thousand years before he would be able to walk the lands outside his cage again, and that was if the forest's growth wasn't somehow delayed.

He walked towards his home, changing forms as he went. "Stupid adorable young kids with their stupid danger tendencies." He muttered, before pushing the door open with his now human hands.

Where there once was a red-orange fox, there now stood a tall man, who looked to be in his early twenties. He had crimson hair with streaks of blonde, black, and orange mixed in, which was tied in a low ponytail that hung to about mid-back, and bangs that framed his face. His eyes were purple with slit pupils, and he had red-orange fox ears and a red-orange tail. His fingers ended in claw-like nails, and he had three thick, symmetrical whisker marks on each cheek. Naruto was his name. Or, at least he thought it was, it had been so long since someone other than himself had known his name, he could be mistaken. However, that's what he remembered his friends used to call him. 'Before they all died that is.' He thought cynically, the time since their deaths barely having diluted the pain. He'd been living in this forest, his prison, for years. Years, years, years, so many years that he'd lost exact count long ago. Spending most of his time sleeping without knowing exactly how long he was asleep for would do that to a person. However, he knew that it had been at least a thousand, maybe a thousand and a half years since he'd seen the outside of his forest with his own eyes.

"What moron would be stupid enough to leave two 11 year old kids with a cowardly dog and no way of defending themselves in _this_ forest alone? Especially at night." He said to himself as he wandered through the doorway, seal-lessly and wordlessly creating a kage bunshin, who jogged out of the house. "They're just lucky I had a perimeter seal around the edges of the forest, otherwise I might not have gotten there in time..." (3) The clone came back inside within moments, carrying a dead rabbit in its hand. Naruto thanked it before dismissing it and began preparing himself a lean dinner. Because he was trapped in the forest, he couldn't exactly just run to the market and buy what he needed. He had to use his resources carefully, and hadn't had actual grains since before his imprisonment. 'Or ramen.' he thought, mournfully sitting down at the table with the vegetables of his dinner while absently cooking the cleaned rabbit on a spit. 'I can barely even remember the taste of ramen! All I have is meat, vegetables, and fruit.' He mentally complained, turning the rabbit over the low powered fire jutsu he held in his hand.

"I wonder why those kids were out in the forest anyway..." he murmured absently to himself before critically checking over the rabbit to see if it was done. He wasn't really used to cooking his food, since he usually just ate it raw as a fox, but seeing other humans for the first time in years had given him a desire to act like a human for once. When he deemed it satisfactory, he pulled the stick out of it and tossed it in the air. Using pure wind chakra manipulation, he cut it into smaller pieces, and caught them in a bowl as they fell. He did the same to the vegetables, and, with a quiet, "Itadakimasu" began eating.

'Come to think of it, that midget blonde reminded me of someone...' Naruto thought as he chewed, trying to ignore the flavor of his healthy, but rather bland, meal. He searched through his memories, finding the process harder than it once was, before he figured it out. 'Ahh...' he thought, his eyes narrowing and his fists clenching. 'Sasuke.' he glanced down and deliberately unclenched his fists, revealing crescent shaped cuts where his nail had dug into his skin, and swallowed his food slowly. 'Leaving comrades while they're in danger? Definitely a Sasuke-esque thing to do.' He watched as the skin on his hands knitted itself back together, the cuts disappearing, as he made an effort to suppress his anger. He was having trouble with his emotions; he hadn't thought of the bastard, or any of the people in his past, in years. It just hurt too much.

He'd tried his best to bring the one he called his best friend back in one piece, and actually succeeded for a time. At that point in the war, they could use anyone they could find, and when he'd finally dragged the bastard back to their base of operations, he'd been accepted through necessity. 'I was so naive back then.' he thought, closing his eyes. However, once on the battlefield, the man had turned on them, killing almost a quarter of their forces before they could retaliate, and fleeing. Naruto had chased after him, despite the complaints of the allied forces for him to turn his attention elsewhere, and finally confronted him at what was left of the valley of the end. Both statues had been mostly destroyed at this point, leaving only the waterfall and a horribly pockmarked depiction of what used to be two of the strongest men in history.

Sasuke had turned and taunted him about never being able to kill him, even after a betrayal of such magnitude. "I stood at your back, fighting alongside you with kunai in hand," he'd said, "before I turned and plunged that kunai through your lowered guard and left you bleeding on the ground. And the best part is, you still can't bring yourself to kill me." Sasuke had laughed at the time, an unhinged look in his eyes. 'I guess,' mused the blonde, his narrowed eyes bleeding to crimson as he finished his meal, 'that was what made the horrified expression on his face so much sweeter when I put a rasengan through his chest.' He let out a sigh, allowing his anger to dissipate, then stood up and began walking toward the back door of his little home. 'That little black haired kid though, he reminds me a little of myself when I was younger.' He thought as walked out of his house, the wooden bowl still in his hands.

He walked forward a few yards to the stream that he had created by using a doton jutsu to dig to an underground water source. 'Though, considering I'm thinking of myself when I was about four, that's probably not the best of things.' When he was younger, before he'd decided he was going to become a ninja, he'd been a timid child, practically frightened of his own shadow. The villagers' hatred and fear of him had toned down his personality quite a bit, and it hadn't been until he'd found his goal in life that he'd changed his attitude. 'That kid seemed like me. The eyes are the window to the soul after all, and his eyes showed everything. Fear of death but a hint of acceptance, hidden sadness, repressed memories...he hasn't had a chance to figure out what he wants to do or how he'll do it because he's been beaten down so many times he's not sure if he wants to get up again. Healing but fragile.' Naruto thought as he washed the bowl then his hands in the stream; the braver and more stupid creatures would chase after him or ransack his home if they thought he had food.

"Well, that's that." He said, standing from his crouch and stretching his back with a yawn. 'It's getting late. I think I deserve some shut eye after having done my good samaritan deed for the day.' he thought, walking into his house long enough to put the bowl on the table, then leaving again. He meandered through the forest for a few minutes, happy to stay in his human form for once, his feet automatically carrying him along a well-trodden path. Moments later, he sighed happily as he arrived, the sticks and rocks under his feet being replaced by soft grass. He closed his eyes, enjoying the scent of flowers and earth that invaded his senses. When he opened them, he found himself in his clearing, one of the only places in the forest he could go without feeling Madara's oppressive chakra on his back. It was naturally made, and one of the few places that he allowed none to visit but him. If anything attacked him near his cottage, he usually sent it off with the beating of a lifetime, and a warning not to return. If anything attacked him here, it died. This was his peaceful haven. It was here, and only here, that he could relax his guard long enough to sleep deeply.

He tiredly walked to the center before plopping down, looking upwards as he did so. A quarter moon loomed high in the sky, its light casting a silvery glow everywhere it touched. 'No matter how many times I've seen it, I'll never get over its beauty.' He thought, running his fingers through the grass and burying his toes in the dirt. 'Though it is depressing to think that this sight is one of the only few joys I've found in this forest.' he thought, losing himself to melancholy thoughts. 'I've been here so long, sometimes I don't think I'll ever get free. I haven't talked to another sentient being in years...I think the worst part is not having the freedom to leave, to go where I want when I want to.' he shivered as a cool breeze suddenly blew through the clearing, wrapping his tail around himself and flattening his ears to try and ward off the cold. He shifted to his fox form, it having much more warmth than his human form, and began drifting off. 'Though, perhaps,' his sleep addled mind whispered, he being almost asleep at this point, 'the worst part is the loneliness. The desolation of finding myself all alone...again.' His heavy hearted thoughts were thankfully forgotten as he fell asleep, the moonlight washing over him and bathing him in its celestial light.

* * *

Elsewhere, a certain emerald eyed boy and his bushy haired friend had just arrived back at the Gryffindor common room. "Where's Ron?" Hermione asked as they climbed through the portrait hole. Harry glanced around, his eyes skating over the colors of his house, looking for Ron's distinctive red hair. "Maybe he went up without us?" Harry suggested in a questioning tone, not seeing Ron anywhere. Ron had said that he'd wait for them, but it was rather late, and Harry couldn't fault him for not wanting to wait up. "I guess we'll just see him in the morning then." Hermione said with a slightly disapproving air at the thought that he didn't keep his word. The two headed in the direction of their respective dorms, but before they could even get to the stairs, they heard a loud snore coming from one of the armchairs by the fireplace. Directing their gazes there, they found that Ron hadn't abandoned them; he'd just fallen asleep while waiting. They exchanged amused smiles before walking over and, with a bit of effort, managing to rouse Ron from his sleep, though he still looked a bit out of it. He became a bit more focused when Hermione started telling them what happenedwith her, Neville, and Hagrid.

Most of it had been boring, just walking with Hagrid as he followed invisible tracks and chattered at them about nothing in particular. However, "Things got really interesting when Malfoy just showed up out of nowhere, with only Fang following him." Hermione said. "Neville and I were really worried, and Hagrid seemed even more worried than us. We started in the direction Malfoy had come from, and he was complaining behind us the whole time. Something about not wanting to risk his life for 'that bloody scarhead'" Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "Bloody git." Ron muttered to Harry, who nodded, both ignoring the scathing look Hermione gave them for interrupting her. "We came to a dead unicorn, it was really scary..." she trailed off, shivering slightly, before she seemed shake herself and continue. "Anyway, Harry wasn't there, and we were all freaking out at this point, even Malfoy seemed a bit worried." Ron gave her a disbelieving look, which she ignored. "But, just then, we all saw green sparks shoot up, so we knew Harry was at least alive, but might need help or something. Hagrid took off, and we all did our best to follow him, but he was going really fast. Neville fell behind first, then Malfoy, then me, but we were still able to see Hagrid and each other, so we got out okay."

Hermione finished, turning to Harry with an expectant look. "What _did _happen with you Harry? When we got there, you were just standing there like nothing happened! I'd like to hope that I wasn't running through the forest for nothing." Harry froze. "Well..." he stalled, his mind racing. 'Should I tell them what happened with the fox?' he wondered. 'What if...what if it's not supposed to be there? Hagrid did say that he didn't know that it was there, what if someone found out and wanted to take it away? Like Hagrid's dragon? (4)' As Harry remained frozen, his friends began to exchange worried glances. "Harry, mate? What's wrong?" Ron asked, putting his hand on his shoulder and giving him a slight shake. "Whatever it is, Harry, you can tell us. We're your friends." Hermione said, moving from the armchair she'd been in to sit in an adjacent armchair and put her hand on Harry's other shoulder. 'Can I trust both of them to not tell anyone about it?' He turned to look both of them in the eye, and seeing only concern, came to his decision.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to tell anyone." Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, then at Harry, both looking even more worried. "Harry-" Ron began, before he was cut off. "Promise!" Harry insisted. Ron sighed and Hermione twisted her hands anxiously in her lap before both replied at the same time. "Alright Harry." "Okay mate." Harry heaved a sigh of relief before he began to tell his story. "Alright. Here's what happened. Draco, Fang, and I were following the trail of unicorn blood, and we came to a clearing. There was this terrifying thing, and it was drinking blood from the unicorn when we got there." At this point, Hermione let out a soft gasp and covered her mouth in shock while Ron paled. "Malfoy screamed and ran away, and Fang followed him. Then, the thing looked up, and I felt this really bad pain in my scar. I was trying to get away, but I couldn't really think through the pain, and I ended up backing into a tree. The thing was getting closer, and I really thought I was gonna die. But then, I heard this noise next to me, and I looked over and saw..." here Harry trailed off, looking down at his hands in his lap.

Hermione bit her lip. Even though she knew the story turned out well, she couldn't help but worry. "What did you see Harry?" she asked gently. Harry looked at her, his eyes shining with awe. "There was an enormous fox right next to me!" "A fox?" Ron and Hermione responded in unison, both with confused expressions. "Yes, a giant fox! It growled and chased the thing away. Then it turned to me, and I thought it was gonna eat me, but it didn't! It just kneeled down and let me get on its back, then took me out of the forest."

Harry looked to his friends to see that Ron's eyes had widened considerably. "It let you ride it? Blimey..." Ron breathed. Hermione sent him a stern glare before stating in a scolding manner, "Harry tells us he almost died, and all you care about is that he got to ride on a fox?!" Ron gave her a slightly disbelieving look. "Well he's obviously not dead, is he? And I don't see why I shouldn't be excited about something as wicked as getting to ride on a giant fox." He turned to Harry, ignoring Hermione's affronted look. "What was it like? Riding the fox, I mean." "Ron!" Hermione hissed reproachfully.

Harry, sensing an argument brewing between his two friends, decided to head it off at the pass. "I wonder what someone would want unicorn blood for anyway." He said loudly, subtly cutting off their squabble. "What's it for?" "Dunno mate." Ron said with a large yawn, leaning back against the couch with a quiet huff. "We've never used it in potions before, that might mean something." Hermione suddenly started with surprise. "Wait here, I'll be right back!" she exclaimed before she stood up and quietly rushed up the stairs. "What the bloody hell was that all about?" Ron mumbled in confusion, staring blearily after her, the late night obviously taking its toll on him.

Hermione came back moments later, a large book under her arm. "What's that?" Harry asked as she sat down with it in her lap. "It's a potions book I checked out from the library for exams studying." She said, opening the book and quickly flipping through its pages. "When Ron said that we'd never used unicorn blood in potions before, I remembered reading something about it in here, hold on…" she trailed off, burying herself in the book. Harry, bored with just watching his friend read, tried to entertain himself by talking to Ron, but found that the ginger became even worse of a conversationalist than usual when tired. "Here it is!" Hermione crowed all of a sudden, causing Ron and Harry, who was beginning to doze off himself, to jolt in surprise. "According to this book, it is forbidden to use blood of a unicorn that isn't freely given. To kill a unicorn is a horrible crime, since they're so pure and innocent. A unicorn's blood will save you, even if you're on the brink of death, but from then on, your life would be cursed, and a half-life." Hermione said grimly, closing the book and setting it on the table to her side.

"Blimey, you'd have to be absolutely desperate do something that awful. To the unicorn _and_ yourself." Ron muttered. "But…why would someone do something like that? I mean, wouldn't there be later effects? What with living a 'half-life' and all…" Harry mused. "Well…what if the person was expecting to get something that would save them from a half-life and restore them to their full power? Something that would keep them from dying?" Hermione hesitantly suggested, biting her lip in thought. Both Ron and Harry looked up with wide eyes before responding, "The Philosopher's Stone!"

"But…who would be willing to live such a life?" Hermione speculated. Harry suddenly thought of what Hagrid had told him on the night they'd met: 'Some say he died. Codswallop in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.' "Guys…can you honestly not think of a single person who would want something like that?" he said thoughtfully. Both Ron and Hermione gave him uneasy looks. "What are you thinking mate?" Ron asked nervously. "You guys may think I'm crazy," he said slowly. "But I think it might be…Voldemort." Ron jolted out of his relaxed state from shock. "Don't say that name!" he said in a terrified whisper. "But Harry, he's dead isn't he? I mean, you killed him when you were a baby, so how could he possibly be alive?" Hermione, ever the rational one, said.

"Just think about it for a moment." Harry stated. "Hagrid told me that he doesn't believe Voldemort is dead. What if Snape wants the stone for Voldemort?" "Will you stop saying that name?!" Ron hissed. "Harry, even if it is You-Know-Who," Hermione said, her tone colored with disbelief but still reassuring, "everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you." Seeing his incredulous look, she heaved a sigh and stood before saying, "We really should be getting to bed. It's been a long night, and we have classes tomorrow." Harry gave her another look before standing himself and tugging Ron to his feet. "Alright, I'll let it drop for now. Goodnight Hermione." "Goodnight Harry. Good night Ron." Hermione replied, heading off to her common room. "G'night Hermione." Ron mumbled sleepily, stumbling his way to the boy's staircase, Harry hot on his heels.

* * *

A/N: Yeah. There it is. A chapter. Not sure I'm completely satisfied with it, but eh. *shrugs* It's my first fic, so I'm allowed to have some mistakes. If you'll note, there's some minor changes from canon, but not really anything too huge at this point. If there's something that I didn't mention in this scene that was in canon that you're unsure about, feel free to PM me, but you can pretty much assume that if I didn't mention it being different, it's still the same. Er…I feel like I'm forgetting something…oh well. I hope it wasn't too important…10 points to a house of your choice for reviewing. Flames will be used to heat my coffee, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

(1) When Naru was left behind by his allies, it was his choice rather than it actually being a betrayal, cause he wanted to face Madara without others being hurt in the crossfire. So, he wasn't actually betrayed.

(2) At one point, Naruto was captured by the Akatsuki. They prepped him for the extraction, but they had only just begun it when the alliance came and rescued him. The seal was loosened by that, soooo...yeah. Not enough for Kurama to get out with Naruto there, but enough for their life forces to separate and allow Kurama to take over if Naruto were to die.

(3) To tell him if anyone came into his forest.

(4) Keep in mind that Harry doesn't really know anything about magical creatures, and doesn't know what would be considered dangerous enough to be taken away, cause he was muggle raised. And he's 11.

House Points

Slytherin - 90

Ravenclaw - 60

Hufflepuff - 45

Gryffindor - 30


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